Monday, March 27, 2006

There is something I am really convinced about: open source is addictive. I am so convinced I had it written on a t-shirt, which we are giving out at CTIA next week in Las Vegas. If you are interested in it, just let me know.

Now, what do I mean with "open source is addictive"?

I do not think it is addictive as a drug, it is more like chocolate. You try some, then you want more, then you go back to work and you still want more. I started using open source in the days of the slackware distro, with the N1-N2... floppies for the network. I got hooked. I cannot get enough.

There is one very good reason: open source produces better software. You do not get addicted to crappy chocolate, only to the good one.

If you are an IT manager and you taste Linux + MySQL + Jboss... well, you like it and just want more. That helps everybody in this industry, from my friends at SugarCRM, to the guys at Alfresco (including Matt, who is coming to my house tomorrow to watch Arsenal lose win), to Funambol.

The next wave of computing is MOBILE. If you tried open source in some part of your IT organization or in a project, once it comes to extend the data to your mobile devices, where are you going to look? At Microsoft? At RIM? Bad food which leaves a bitter taste in your mouth? I do not think so. You are going for mobile open source. Trust me. You like good chocolate.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Apparently, I like titles ending with question marks... I have a column that appeared on the printed copy of the Linux World journal today. The title is "Did You Get My E-mail?". It fits with the first two posts of this blog...

Anyway, if you are curious to read what I think about mobile email and open source, check it out.

Friday, March 17, 2006

If you ask Marten (MySQL CEO) about what is the #1 benefit open source brings to MySQL, he will probably answer: "quality" (with a Finnish accent, that nicely matches my Italian). Successful open source projects enjoy the benefit of having the largest QA team on the planet. Testing is everything, when it comes to quality.

Testing is important, very important for a database server. Testing is EVERYTHING in mobile. You cannot even think about supporting a mobile platform for the mass market, if you cannot test your application on every device on the world.

Guess what? This year one billion people will get a new phone.

How do you test your software on a billion devices and repeat that every year? How can you make sure it works on device A, with firmware B, connecting through carrier C, located in country Z? If you are an old boring proprietary vendor, you can't. It is impossible. You will kill yourself trying to do it. Do not even try. Others did and failed...

The only way to build a mobile platform for the mass market is via a community effort. Open source is the answer for all the companies that died in the last five years, struggling to support more than just 10 devices.

Open Source applies to Mobile better than any other market. The community effect is the "killer factor". It does not only bring quality. It makes a platform real.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while. Funambol is getting a ton of traction and mobile + open source are going to be two of the hottest topics in the months to come. I guess I have some stuff I could talk about, being the guy who tried to register the term "mobile open source" some time ago ;-)

However, I never made it. I have a personal blog that my mom reads. If there is no posting on it for a week, she assumes I am sick. I know what it means to be a slave of your own blog. I did not want to do it.

A few days ago, my friend Matt challenged me on one of the few topics I really get excited about (soccer, the other one being my family). I saw comments on other blogs saying "hey, Fabrizio did not respond"... I have to. And I have been forced to start a blog. Matt, I will always think of you when I will be writing at midnight.

Anyway, I accept the challenge. When Arsenal will get kicked out of the Champions League, I expect a delivery of a gold copy of Alfresco. On top of it, I want a real picture of you wearing a Juventus jersey (that you will have to buy and keep for your kids). I will provide you with the Funambol code and my picture in an Arsenal jersey, in the unlikely case we lose against a team which is trailing Chelsea by 28 points in the Premier League.Left, you see a preview of the picture, so that you can get used to it. By the way, did you ever notice that the Juventus jersey looks similar to what jail prisoners wear? I believe it fits Alfresco ("in jail", in Italian) nicely.

About Me

Fabrizio Capobianco is the Founder and CEO of TOK.tv, the company that lets you talk to your friends while watching TV. He also serves as President and Chairman of Funambol, which he founded in 2003 and grew to be the leading mobile open source company in the world.